When ingested orally, how long does diazepam take to kick in and how long until its peak is reached? I read on an erowid trip report that its peak is usually reached at 1-2 hours but I can't find any additional info to validate that. Also, how quickly does tolerance build up? With alprazolam, I've observed that 2 weeks of daily use of 1-2mg doses is enough to start getting physically addicted and I'm guessing its one of the more addictive benzos, like temazepam. I read that long acting benzos take far longer to get addicted to. Does that go for diazepam?

Approximately one-third of individuals who take benzodiazepines for longer than four weeks become
dependent and experience a withdrawal syndrome upon cessation. if it is taken for six weeks or longer dependence can form. Peak plasma levels occur between 30 and 90 minutes after oral administration.www.en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diazepam

Uhh, you specifically asked about diazepam. Hence the diazepam info & reference link..
Also, ALL benzos are considered a psychoactive drug whose core chemical structure is the fusion of a benzene ring and a diazepine ring. Tolerance can develop to a benzos effects and there is also a risk of
dependence, and upon discontinuation a withdrawal syndrome may occur.

Guidelines issued by the UK-based National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), carried out a systematic review using different methodology and came to a different conclusion. They questioned the accuracy of studies that were not placebo-controlled. And, based on the findings of placebo-
controlled studies , they do not
recommend use of benzodiazepines beyond two to four weeks, as tolerance
and physical dependence develop rapidly, with withdrawal symptoms
including rebound anxiety occurring after six weeks or more of use.

Long-acting benzos are less addictive and also produce less severe withdrawal symptoms (don't get me wrong, diazepam withdrawals are hell - but they aren't nearly as bad as something like temazepam or lorazepam). Tolerance also builds up slower to long-acting benzos. Diazepam is highly lipophilic, so it kicks in quickly (30 minutes) and peaks at 1-2 hours, depending on an individuals metabolism. It's noticeable effects last for approximately 4-5 hours and then it's all the metabolites that go to work and make diazepam long-acting. Temazepam and oxazepam are two of the metabolites, but they are quickly excreted. It's nordazepam that is the long-acting metabolite responsible for diazepams hangover effects.

Valium is awesome........everyone is different but for me, I dissolve it under my tongue (10mgs) & I start to feel it in like 5 minutes, then I peak about 20 minutes, I also like mixing vicodin to balance out the mellowness of the valium........I like mixing vicodin with valium but for harm reduction sake, try both separately before mixing so you get a feel for both......mixing both is exactly what the doctor ordered, if you will.........

Valium is awesome........everyone is different but for me, I dissolve it under my tongue (10mgs) & I start to feel it in like 5 minutes, then I peak about 20 minutes, I also like mixing vicodin to balance out the mellowness of the valium........I like mixing vicodin with valium but for harm reduction sake, try both separately before mixing so you get a feel for both......mixing both is exactly what the doctor ordered, if you will.........

Ahh Valium 10's, just the thought makes my mouth water with a blueish, greenish paste

Long-acting benzos are less addictive and also produce less severe withdrawal symptoms (don't get me wrong, diazepam withdrawals are hell - but they aren't nearly as bad as something like temazepam or lorazepam). Tolerance also builds up slower to long-acting benzos. Diazepam is highly lipophilic, so it kicks in quickly (30 minutes) and peaks at 1-2 hours, depending on an individuals metabolism. It's noticeable effects last for approximately 4-5 hours and then it's all the metabolites that go to work and make diazepam long-acting. Temazepam and oxazepam are two of the metabolites, but they are quickly excreted. It's nordazepam that is the long-acting metabolite responsible for diazepams hangover effects.

When you say they produce less severe withdrawal symptoms I wouldn't dispute that in anyway, but surely anyone with any sense would switch to Diazepam to withdraw from benzos anyway. I'm not so sure about tolerance building up slower, it may well be technically correct, you seem very knowledgeable but there is a psychological element to take into account.

Personally diaz has been my benzo of choice, I've tried short acting ones like xanax but they didn't have the same allure, I've had to taper off twice over the last couple of years due to stupid tolerance. I find it builds up into 3 figures a day within a couple of weeks, this isn't so much tolerance as chasing the big hit from high dosing.

I only say this because I wouldn't want others thinking Diazepam is in anyway OK to use daily for anything longer than a couple of weeks and should really be avoided, like all benzos if you have issues with addiction. Once I'm done with this taper I'm really going to try and not touch them again, its the tapering off that's the worst thing about them IMO, if you could just CT my life would be so much easier.

Be warned Benzos bite you in the rear if your not really careful regardless of which ones you are taking.

When you say they produce less severe withdrawal symptoms I wouldn't dispute that in anyway, but surely anyone with any sense would switch to Diazepam to withdraw from benzos anyway. I'm not so sure about tolerance building up slower, it may well be technically correct, you seem very knowledgeable but there is a psychological element to take into account.

Personally diaz has been my benzo of choice, I've tried short acting ones like xanax but they didn't have the same allure, I've had to taper off twice over the last couple of years due to stupid tolerance. I find it builds up into 3 figures a day within a couple of weeks, this isn't so much tolerance as chasing the big hit from high dosing.

I only say this because I wouldn't want others thinking Diazepam is in anyway OK to use daily for anything longer than a couple of weeks and should really be avoided, like all benzos if you have issues with addiction. Once I'm done with this taper I'm really going to try and not touch them again, its the tapering off that's the worst thing about them IMO, if you could just CT my life would be so much easier.

Be warned Benzos bite you in the rear if your not really careful regardless of which ones you are taking.

Yes, most people taking benzos like lorazepam, temazepam or alprazolam would do much better switching to diazepam and tapering down. I was merely talking about how bad the withdrawals from temazepam or lorazepam are compared to diazepam, as they are short to intermediate acting benzos. However, on the plus side, the duration time of withdrawal symptoms from temazepam or lorazepam is shorter compared to diazepam. It's not easy either way, I guess.

Due to temazepam's widespread abuse in Europe, Australia, and elsewhere back in the 1980's and 1990's - there's a lot of information and data on temazepam and its withdrawals. They are particularly nasty:

Abrupt withdrawal after long term use from therapeutic doses of temazepam may result in a very severe benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome. There are reports in the medical literature of at least six psychotic states developing after abrupt withdrawal from temazepam including delirium after abrupt withdrawal of only 30 mg of temazepam and in another case, auditory hallucinations and visual cognitive disorder developed after abrupt withdrawal from 10 mg of temazepam, 5 mg of nitrazepam and 0.5 mg of triazolam. Gradual and careful reduction of the dosage, preferably with a milder long-acting benzodiazepine such as clonazepam or diazepam, or even a milder short to intermediate acting benzodiazepine such as oxazepam or alprazolam, was recommended to prevent severe withdrawal syndromes from developing. Other strong hypnotic benzodiazepines, whether short, intermediate or long-acting are not recommended. Antipsychotics increase the severity of benzodiazepine withdrawal effects with an increase in the intensity and severity of convulsions. Depersonalisation has also been reported as a benzodiazepine withdrawal effect from temazepam.

Abrupt withdrawal from very high doses is even more likely to cause severe withdrawal effects. Withdrawal from very high doses of temazepam will cause severe hypoperfusion of the whole brain with diffuse slow activity on EEG. After withdrawal, abnormalities in hypofrontal brain wave patterns may persist beyond the withdrawal syndrome suggesting that organic brain damage may occur from chronic high dose abuse of temazepam. Temazepam withdrawal has been well known to cause a sudden and often violent death.